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Friday, December 19, 2014

NRCDV recently released a technical assistance guide on Domestic Violence and The Holidays: Promoting Wellness and Managing Stress. To read the full version click here for a wealth of resources visit www.nrcdv.org.

Thursday, December 04, 2014

The GCASAFV wishes you all a safe and happy holiday season! This month we'll be featuring blogs on Domestic Violence and the Holidays. Below is a snippet of a technical assistance guide released in December 2011 from the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence. To read the full version click here or for a wealth of resources visit www.nrcdv.org.

Thursday, November 27, 2014

The National Alliance to End Sexual Violence (NAESV) is the
voice in Washington for the 56 state and territorial sexual assault coalitions
and 1300 rape crisis centers working to end sexual violence and support
survivors. Every day, local rape crisis centers see the devastating impact of
campus sexual assault and the increasing occurrence of the crime. According to
the Campus Sexual Assault Study, one in five women has been sexually assaulted
while in college. The aftermath of rape can hamper both educational attainment
and future employment for survivors. College survivors suffer high rates of
PTSD, depression, and drug or alcohol abuse, which can hamper both their
ability to succeed in school and future employment. At the same time, only a
small percentage of these cases are reported, sanctioned by campus judicial
boards or prosecuted, allowing offenders, who will often have multiple victims,
to go without punishment as well as creating an unsafe environment for
students.

NAESV applauds the recommendations advanced by the White
House Task Force to Protect Students From Sexual Assault and supports a
continued legislative and administrative focus on five key areas: partnerships,
prevention, advocacy and confidentiality, training, and climate surveys.

• Partnerships: Postsecondary institutions have a prime
opportunity to make significant and lasting change by integrating comprehensive
sexual assault prevention throughout all aspects of campus life. State sexual assault
coalitions and community-based rape crisis centers are experts in sexual
violence with decades of experience doing sexual assault training and
prevention as well as building an evidence base founded in practice and the
real experiences of communities. Rape crisis centers can help schools better
serve their students. These centers provide crisis intervention, 24-hour
services, longer-term therapy, support groups, accompaniment to hospital and
legal services, and community education and training. They stand ready to work
with colleges and universities to design and implement prevention and training
programming.

NAESV urges campuses to develop MOUs with state sexual
assault coalitions and/or community-based rape crisis centers and to prioritize
partnerships with local and state not-for-profit experts rather than
partnerships with out-of-state and/or for-profit entities. NAESV believes that
each community has unique characteristics and that state sexual assault
coalitions and community-based rape crisis centers know first-hand the
available medical, legal and support services. MOUs should include fees for
services rendered or a mutually agreed upon plan to fund activities. If a given
community lacks a rape crisis center, or the local center is unable to take on
additional responsibilities, the state sexual assault coalition may be able to
serve as a partner for some purposes. Reimbursing rape crisis centers and
coalitions for their services is a best practice.

State sexual assault coalitions and/or community-based rape
crisis centers can be partners on a broad range of campus activities to address
sexual violence and comply with federal law including:

Providing or consulting on ongoing prevention programming
and initiatives now required by the Campus SaVE Act;

Providing guidance and acting as a liaison on a campus task
force/sexual assault response team;

Providing confidential advocacy and counseling to student
survivors; and

Providing training on sex offending behaviors and effective
sanctions, or facilitating partnerships with those with expertise in sex
offending.

• Prevention: Primary prevention strategies are focused on
stopping the violence before it happens. Institutions must assess their
readiness for prevention and measure the effectiveness of programs. State
sexual assault coalitions and community-based agencies, often funded by the
federal Rape Prevention and Education (RPE) Program, are essential partners to
help provide training and technical assistance about evidence-based and
evidence-informed strategies to prevent sexual violence. We also recommend that
state boards of regents have access to the prevention strategies institutions
utilize and the frequency of interventions, as well as collect annual reports
on outcome data regarding the effectiveness of programs.

• Advocacy & Confidentiality: Sexual assault is a unique
crime: victims often blame themselves; the associated trauma can leave memories
fragmented; and insensitive or judgmental questioning can re-traumatize the
victim. It is imperative that survivors’ confidentiality is guarded. If a
survivor chooses not to report the assault, this choice must be honored and her
or his anonymity protected for the purpose of Clery Act reporting. Guidance
provided to universities regarding their obligations to disclose survivor or
incident information must reinforce the value of privacy for survivors. Title
IX and Clery both reference survivors’ rights related to privacy and
confidentiality. All advocates, whether working on a campus or in the
community, must be able to honor the confidentiality needs of survivors. The
cornerstone of rape crisis advocacy is empowering survivors to regain control
of their lives by making their own decisions following sexual assault. Campuses
are tasked with preventing these crimes, supporting survivors, creating a safe
learning environment, and holding offenders accountable. In doing this, we must
keep the needs of survivors central to this process by granting advocates
confidentiality when supporting survivors of campus sexual violence.

At the same time, it is essential for campuses to rigorously
investigate reported sexual assaults and proactively look for patterns of
perpetration. Campuses must be clear which employees have a duty to report and
which employees can guard confidentiality. NAESV believes the White House Task
Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault recommendations appropriately
balance survivor confidentiality and public safety concerns. NAESV would
support legislation to codify this policy.

Conversely, NAESV could not support a blanket mandatory
reporting policy requiring campuses to report sexual assaults to local law
enforcement even with an opt-out provision. Survivors must be apprised of the
avenues and procedures for reporting as well as advocacy assistance in making
and following through with reports. However, the act of reporting must be the
survivor’s decision.

• Training: Central to training for supporting survivors and
changing the culture of sexual violence is providing trauma-informed services
and response systems. Institutions should provide new campus security and
police officers with training on sexual assault investigations, and annual
policy reviews for quality assurance. Title IX officers should be required to
attend annual trainings and partner with community-based rape crisis centers
and/or state sexual assault coalitions. Additionally, campuses should include
local rape crisis centers and/or state sexual assault coalitions in identifying
plans for resolution agreements and compliance reviews between higher education
institutions and the Department of Education. Campus personnel need training on
sex offending behaviors and effective sanctions, training that can be provided
by state coalitions, local rape crisis centers, and/or their professional
allies.

• Climate Surveys: NAESV supports a requirement that
postsecondary institutions conduct climate surveys to better ascertain the
extent and nature of sexual violence on individual campuses. It will be
essential that climate survey questions are developed using the strongest
scientific data available and with the help of experts, informed by experience
conducting surveys of sexual violence victimization, as well as experienced
advocates from rape crisis centers. Climate surveys must be developed in a
spirit of mutual collaboration and teamwork, and just as survey development
will require collaboration, so too will the process of interpreting results and
developing action steps. Sexual violence is a crime and an endemic social
problem with complex causes. There is little to be gained from simplistic
finger-pointing. No institution should be incentivized to further hide areas
where improvement is needed.

The recommendations of the White House Task Force to Protect
Students Against Sexual Assault marked a historic commitment at the highest
levels of leadership to address this entrenched and unpalatable social problem,
and we are hopeful. It will take a concerted and ongoing commitment from all
postsecondary institutions to truly turn the tide of campus sexual violence. We
commend Congress for its diligent work to craft legislation that is
victim-centered with a focus on prevention, and focusing on partnerships with
local rape crisis centers and state sexual assault coalitions as the experts
poised to best assist campuses in addressing this problem.

CALCASA Release Report on Campus Sexual Assault

Given the current climate on college campuses and the increased called for better policy mechanisms to support survivors, CALCASA responded by convening 50 students, with diverse cultural and college backgrounds, to share their experiences and work with CALCASA to develop recommendations for institutional change during the 2014 Student Summit on Sexual Assault. During this 2-day event, students shared their varying experiences, identified gaps and strengths and, using their collective thought process, helped develop recommendations for universities, colleges, legislators, funders, and other stakeholders to meet the needs of students most effectively. This report is a culmination of student input and perspectives from the Student Summit.

We hope that rape crisis centers, college and university campuses, legislators and funders use this report to adjust to the new landscape of campus sexual violence. CALCASA is excited to work with all partners and stakeholders to provide technical assistance and support. CALCASA has served as a national leaders on campus violence (sexual, dating, domestic, and stalking) via our work with the Office of Violence Against Women and the Centers for Disease Control in supporting the work of communities and institutions in addressing and preventing sexual violence.

Shaina Brown is responsible for managing strategic communications and providing analysis on legislative issues related to sexual violence. Shaina has a background in public affairs, media relations and grant management. Shaina joined the movement to end sexual violence in 2009, serving as a volunteer for Jeans 4 Justice, a San Diego based social change organization.

Thursday, October 30, 2014

The National Network to End Domestic Violence launched a new tool kit, Positively Safe: The Intersection of Domestic Violence & HIV/AIDS. Below is a featured fact sheet from the Positively Safe toolkit. If you want additional materials and links to more resources visit nnedv.org.

Friday, October 10, 2014

The Guam Coalition Against Sexual Assault & Family Violence (GCASAFV) is pleased to present the "Regional Summit 2014: We kNOw MORE."

The Summit will occur from November 6, 2014, Thursday to November 8, 2014, Saturday with different topics each day. Those who should attend include youth, young adults, families, and members of the community; victim service providers and advocates in programs designed to address sexual assault (SA), domestic violence (DV), and other forms of gender-based violence; social workers, counselors, and systems advocates; and community leaders engaged in efforts to ending the violence.

From November 6, Thursday to November 7, Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM at the Holiday Resort & Spa, Tumon, the Summit will focus on trauma-informed victim services, SA/DV across the lifespan, effective advocacy in the community, and the impact of sexual/domestic violence in the workplace, to an audience of community leaders, various organizations, business establishments, victim service providers, social workers, and counselors.

On November, 8, Saturday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM at the Holiday Resort & Spa, Tumon, the Summit will be for youth, young adults, and the community leaders with the focus on raising long-term, effective awareness and advocacy in the community. The Saturday session will have two tracks. Track A will be for youth and young adults on the Speak! Act! Change! curriculum on SA/DV awareness & peer advocacy. Track B will engage the community to address SA/DV and breaking the barriers for survivors to include language access.

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED TO

OCTOBER 22, 2014

Guma’
Mami, Inc. will host The Clothesline Project exhibit as part of the Domestic
Violence Awareness Month of activities.
The Clothesline Project serves as an outlet for women who are victims of
violence to express their emotions. The Clothesline Project is part of a national effort
to educate communities about the personal impact of sexual violence. This project offers women, men and children
and their supporters, an opportunity to have a voice around the issues of
sexual abuse and assault. Individuals
express themselves artistically by creating personal messages on the shirts. This exhibit provides an opportunity for survivors
to bear witness to their experience of violence, and to celebrate their
transformation from victim to survivor by ‘breaking
the silence’.

We invite you to participate
in this event as we all help victims, victims’ families and their friends “Break the Silence”. This event is scheduled for Wednesday,
October 15, 2014 from 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the Guma’ Tasa, Mangilao.

Friday, October 03, 2014

Click the link below to read the personal story and reflections of the 30th Anniversary of the Family Violence Prevention & Services Act by Marylouise Kelley, PhD., Director of the Family Violence Prevention & Services Program.

Drawing from FVPSA Program Director Marylouise Kelley's daughter, age 6, while Kelly was an advocate in a shelter: "Sometimes ladies come to The Crisis Center because they have trouble at home. Sometimes my Mom has to show them where they sleep. Sometimes they come to The Crisis Center with kids."

Friday, September 05, 2014

For the month of September we will feature blogs that focus on the spill over effects of sexual assault and domestic violence in the workplace. To read more about the featured blog below and other materials visit nsvrc.org or click here to take you directly to the full version.

Monday, August 04, 2014

New
Survey: Technology Abuse & Experiences of Survivors and Victim Service
Agencies

In a
survey conducted by the Safety Net Project at NNEDV, nearly 90% of
programs report that survivors come to them for help after abusers intimidated
and made threats via cell phone, text messages and email, and 75% of programs
noted that abusers accessed victim’s accounts (email, social media, etc.)
without the victim’s consent and oftentimes without their knowledge.
Intimidation, threats, and access of information about victims aren’t new
tactics within the context of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, or
trafficking. However, the use of technology as a tool to facilitate these
tactics means that the harassment and abuse can be much more invasive, intensive, and traumatizing.

Technology gives abusers more methods of controlling and
monitoring victims. Seventy-two percent of programs reported that a survivor’s
location is being tracked by smart phones or other devices; more than half of
the programs report that survivors are saying abusers are spoofing caller ID
(manipulating caller ID so that it appears as though someone other than the
abuser is calling); and nearly 70% of programs report that abusers are posting
pictures or videos of victims online for the purpose of distressing or harming
the victim. Programs also report that survivors are asking for help on how to
manage their technology and stay safe while using them. Survivors frequently
ask for help with cell phones (71%); followed by how to manage location
privacy, whether through cell phones or other location devices (62%), and
computer or laptop use (56%).

These two newest infographics show how technology is being
misused by abusers against survivors. NNEDV conducted a survey of more than 750
victim service agencies across the United States, including American Samoa,
Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, through
a grant from the Office for Victims of Crime. This is one of the most
comprehensive reviews of what survivors are telling victim service providers
about how abusers misuse technology to harass, stalk, and harm.

Hafa Adai Friday Everyone! Get a good read out of this article from San Francisco KCBS regarding the "National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) Safety Net Technology Summit 2014" that our GCASAFV Representatives are currently attending!

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— A domestic violence prevention summit
is underway in San Jose where the focus is on issues dealing with technology,
stalking and trafficking.

Some people might not realize that potential stalkers can
use a victim’s smartphone to find out where they are. The conference is
reminding people to turn off location services, or if you leave them on, be
sure that any apps that are location aware are turned off or not displaying
your whereabouts.

People would probably be surprised at how many apps actually
use location services. It’s not just the obvious ones like Google Maps or the
map app built into your iPhone. Most or just about all social networking apps
like Foursquare, Facebook, Twitter all have these tracking components. It’s not
so much to spy on you, but geolocation allows you to check in, but also it can
gather information so that advertising can be catered to your whereabouts.

Think of how handy this comes in when using the Yelp app
when you want to find a restaurant in unfamiliar territory.

This may seem obvious, but make sure potential abusers don’t
have your passwords. This would likely be in the case of a previous spouse or
significant other. If you end up replacing your phone, make sure you don’t just
update it with data from your own phone; do it manually so you don’t get any
spyware on the new device.

Thursday, June 05, 2014

Hafa Adai! June is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month. This month our blogs will contain information regarding sexual assault and domestic violence in the LGBT community. Click on the link below to read more about it!

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Hafa Adai! May is Senior Citizens' Month. In keeping up with this month's theme below is an info-graphic provided by the National Center on Elder Abuse with information on the risks of abuse for people with dementia.

Friday, April 25, 2014

We would like to extend our gratitude to those who attended and participated in our conference for the past two days. We would like to thank Attorney Basil O'Mallan from the Office of the Attorney General, Capt. Ray Perez from the Guam Police Department, Jacob Perez and Attorney Mikaela Henderson from the Guam Public Defender Service Corporation, Dr. Karri Perez and Dr. Ansito Walter from the University of Guam, School of Business & Public Administration, and most especially to our off-island guests Ms. Olga Trujillo and Ms. Tracy Wright for their dedication and advocacy in Raising Awareness to KNOW MORE!

Thursday, April 17, 2014

The Guam Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Family
Violence (GCASAFV) would like to thank the Department of the Navy – Sexual
Assault Response Prevention and Response program for extending the invitation
to attend the Victim Advocate Appreciation Luncheon and would also like to
congratulate those that received the Certified Victim Advocate Awards today:

Monday, April 14, 2014

The Guam Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Family
Violence (GCASAFV) purpose is to address sexual assault and family violence
issues with one united voice providing education, outreach and training
regarding sexual assault and family violence. The goal of the Coalition is to
achieve commitment in the community to prevent sexual assault and domestic
violence, by identifying gaps in services to victims of sexual assault and
family violence, as well as making recommendations for changes; speaking out so
that victims of sexual assault and family violence on Guam can readily get the
services that they need; building the capacity of organizations and networks
through training and education in order to meet Guam’s sexual assault and
family violence needs; and ensuring that voices of survivors of sexual assault
and family violence guide the work of the Guam Coalition Against Sexual Assault
and Family Violence.

To prevent Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, we as a
community need to work together to educate, prevent, and promote awareness on
sexual assault and domestic violence. In order to prevent these things we must
first understand its meaning. Sexual assault is a crime motivated to control,
humiliate, and harm. Perpetrators use sexual assault as a weapon to hurt and
dominate others. Sexual assault is forced or coerced sexual contact without
consent. Consent is the presence of a clear “yes”, not the absence of a “no”.

Similarly, domestic violence is a pattern of behavior used
to establish power and control over another person through fear and
intimidation, often including the threat or use of violence. These are
manifested typically with violent and aggressive behaviors within the home
involving the violent abuse of a spouse, partner, relative, or children.

As a community, we can prevent sexual assault and domestic
violence by working collaboratively with local service agencies to improve the
capacity of Guam in responding to victims of sexual assault and domestic
violence through the expansion of informational resources available to
stakeholders, both service agencies and the general public. In enhancing
community outreach efforts and united awareness on sexual assault and domestic
violence, engaging the community/public at large will achieve these objectives. Awareness and education would also be
effective in the high school level.

We have to improve our capacity to collect data involving SA
& DV cases to better understand the demographics of these incidences. Better intervention would benefit by a clear
identification of the causes of SA&DV.
Treatment and rehabilitation using programs such as the Batterer’s
Intervention Program would also be beneficial.
Supporting parents through availability of parenting classes would help.

Ensuring that everyone is respected and treated equally
should be part of the core of all of the community efforts.

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About Guam Coalition

GCASAFV is a non-profit organization comprised of member agencies representing public and private service providers, community individuals and other community partners and government allies. GCASAFV focuses on addressing sexual assault (SA) and family violence (FV) on Guam at a community level with one united voice.

The GCASAFV carries out its mission by providing education, outreach and training. We assist in building the capacity of community organizations and networks to meet the needs of survivors of FV and SA.Read More